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U. S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
FFL NEWSLETTER
FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEE INFORMATION SERVICE
April 2015
In an effort to keep Federal firearms licensees (FFLs) abreast of changing Federal firearms laws and regulations, the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will provide semiannual FFL Newsletters. Previous
editions of the FFL Newsletters are available on ATF’s Web site (https://www.atf.gov/publications/newsletters/index.html).
What’s in This Issue
SHOT Show 2015
New Appointments in Enforcement Programs
and Services
ATF Outreach Activities
Organizational Change for Firearms
Technology Branch
Automation of CBP Form I-94
Return of Firearms Received for Appraisal
Revised Federal Firearms License (FFL)
Renewal Application (ATF Form 8)
Reminders: Reporting Deceased Responsible
Persons to the Federal Firearms Licensing
Center and Submission of Original and
Renewal Applications
Use of Internal Control Numbers on ATF
Form 6 Part I
Reminder: Reporting Multiple Sales of
Handguns or Certain Rifles
Who to Contact with your Firearms Related
Questions
SHOT Show 2015
ATF has been participating in the annual Shooting,
Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show for over 25
years. Our information booth with subject matter experts
serves industry members and the general public attending
SHOT Show. We conduct informational seminars and
provide timely information on regulatory matters to Federal firearms licensees.
During the 2015 SHOT Show, ATF hosted an information booth, staffed by technical experts and policy makers,
to address a wide variety of questions from attendees. Additionally, ATF conducted an educational seminar which
included presentations on detecting and avoiding illegal
straw purchases and ATF’s Frontline business model.
During the straw purchase presentation, ATF Special Agent Thomas Chittum, Assistant Special Agent in
Charge, Seattle Field Division, reviewed assorted scenarios used by straw purchasers to illegally obtain firearms
for persons who may be prohibited from so doing, and
discussed questions a licensee may ask to help ensure the
buyer is the actual purchaser. During the Frontline presentation, ATF Special Agent John Oakey, Chief, Frontline Branch, provided information on ATF’s Frontline
business model which supports development of intelligence-driven strategies and coordinates deployment of focused enforcement tactics.
New Appointments in Enforcement
Programs and Services — Assistant
Director and Deputy Assistant Director
Mr. Marvin Richardson was appointed as the Assistant
Director for the Enforcement Programs and Services
Directorate (EPS) in December 2014. Prior to his current
position, Mr. Richardson served as the Deputy Assistant
Director, EPS from 2012 thru 2014. Mr. Richardson’s
career with ATF spans more than 25 years, and includes
service as the Special Agent in Charge of the Denver and
Phoenix Field Divisions; Chair of the ATF Professional
Review Board; and Chief, National Center for Explosives
Training and Research (NCETR). Mr. Richardson began
his career with ATF in 1989 as a Special Agent in the
Dallas Field Division.
April 2015
FFL NEWSLETTER
tailored to Type 1, 2 and 7 licensees. Topics covered
included recordkeeping, conduct of business, manufacturing, and the National Firearms Act (NFA).
Mr. Curtis Gilbert was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Director for EPS in December 2014. Mr. Gilbert
began his career with ATF in 1988. He served as the Director of Industry Operations for the Detroit Field Division and the Deputy Chief of Field Management Staff.
Mr. Gilbert was selected as Deputy Assistant Director
of Field Operations in 2012 before his appointment in
EPS.
•On June 9-10, 2014, ATF hosted an informa­tion
booth at the National Pawnbrokers Association 2014
Pawn Expo. Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs)
provided regulatory information and addressed questions from attendees.
•On June 17, 2014, ATF conducted a K-9 presentation at Huth Road Elementary School, Grand Island,
New York. The primary topics of conversation
included firearms and explosives awareness, reacting
to unusual circumstances, and the students’ role as
concerned young citizens.
ATF Outreach Activities
ATF conducts informational seminars throughout the
year. In addition to providing information at numerous
gun shows across the United States, here are some examples of outreach activities that local ATF offices conducted in 2014:
•On July 15, 2014, ATF conducted a seminar for
licensed manufacturers and importers at the Salt Lake
City Public Library’s Nancy Tessman Auditorium.
Topics included manufacturing operations, forms,
records, rulings; importer/exporter operations, forms,
records, rulings; and NFA operations, forms, records
and rulings.
•On January 17, 2014, ATF conducted an educational seminar at the North Carolina Auctioneer’s
Association Winter Conference in Greensboro,
North Carolina. The presentation included information about the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the licensing requirements for auctioneers engaged in the
business of buying and selling firearms and/or conducting consignment auctions.
•On September 5 and 6, 2014 ATF participated in the
Southeast Regional Pawnbroker’s Association Trade
Show in Greenville, South Carolina. The show was
attended by numerous vendors as well as business
owners. ATF was on hand to answer questions and
concerns.
•On March 26, 2014, ATF conducted an educational
seminar for the Washington County Zoning Department (Maryland). ATF educated the personnel on
certain GCA definitions, the ATF Form 4473, licensing requirements, criteria for the issuance of licenses,
and specific items on the ATF Form 7, Application
for Federal Firearms License (FFL), such as business
address, hours of operation, description of specific
activity, and applicant certification requirements.
•On September 9-10, 2014, ATF conducted Federal
firearms licensee seminars at the Delaware State
Police Troop 2 Barracks and the Dover Police Department. ATF educated attendees on acquisition and
disposition (A&D) record requirements, how to conduct an inventory, ATF Procedure 2013-1, straw purchase prevention, and best practices related to internal
controls.
•On April 26, 2014, ATF provided a firearms presentation to pawnbrokers at the Washington State Pawnbrokers Convention in Yakima, Washington. The
presentation was part of a continuing education seminar for the Washington State Pawnbrokers that hold
Federal firearms licenses.
•On September 11, 2014, ATF conducted a Federal
firearms licensee seminar in Ft. Worth, Texas. The
presentation included information on the inspection
process, application procedures, and the partnership
between ATF and the licensed industry.
•On May 2, 2014 ATF conducted firearms seminars
in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. The presentations
included information on ATF inspection procedures,
best practices for Federal firearms licensees, and gun
show guidelines.
•On September 20-21, 2014, ATF conducted outreach
at the Tanner Gun Show in Denver, Colorado.
This event, which is advertised as Denver’s largest gun
show, attracted the participation of approximately
700 exhibitors. IOIs provided regulatory information
to industry members and answered questions from industry members and the general public regarding the
sale of firearms and applying for a Federal firearms
license.
•On May 15, 2014, ATF conducted a firearms seminar at Carteret Community College located in Morehead City, North Carolina. Approximately 170 individuals attended the seminar. The presentation was
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April 2015
FFL NEWSLETTER
•On October 9, 2014, ATF provided a presentation
to auctioneers in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The
presentation included information about the Gun
Control Act (GCA) and the licensing requirements
for auctioneers engaged in the business of buying
and selling firearms and/or conducting consignment
auctions. The presentation was part of a continuing
education seminar for the West Virginia Auctioneer
Association.
•On November 15, 2014, ATF provided educational
outreach during the Bill Goodman Gun & Knife
Show at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The event
hosted approximately 68 Federal firearms licensees
and vendors selling accessories and knives, and
approximately 3,000-4,000 people attended the show.
IOIs provided answers to questions from the licensee
and non-licensee attendees at the event and provided
copies of ATF publications.
•On October 15, 2014, ATF joined other Federal
agencies to attend a “Trade Day” in Charleston,
South Carolina, sponsored by US Customs and Border Protection. The exhibition provided local business owners who import a variety of goods the
opportunity to meet various agencies and have their
questions answered.
•On November 17, 2014, ATF participated in training
for employees at Gander Mountain’s new location in
Woodbridge, Virginia. The training included information on the ATF inspection process, recordkeeping
requirements, identification documents (including
Military IDs), out-of-State transfers, straw purchase
indicators, and other regulatory matters.
•On October 23, 2014, ATF conducted a firearms
training seminar in Freehold, New Jersey. The seminar was held in cooperation with the State of New
Jersey Firearms Unit and National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) Criminal Information Unit. Topics of discussion included the ATF
inspection process, how to avoid violations, manufacturing/gunsmithing, and many State issues.
•On December 9, 2014, ATF conducted a seminar
and provided materials at the Reppert Auction School
located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Reppert Auction School is approved to provide pre-licensing
education for auctioneers, including firearms auctioneers, throughout the United States. During the
2-hour block of instruction, IOIs presented an overview of ATF’s mission and discussed Federal requirements pertaining to estate and consignment auctions
of firearms.
•On November 6, 2014, ATF attended a seminar at
the MC Sports location in Chardon, Ohio. There
were multiple industry members from MC Sports
in attendance from the Northern Ohio region. ATF
presented in-depth firearms industry related training
with a primary focus on the ATF Form 4473 and its
proper completion.
Organizational Change for
Firearms Technology Branch
On September 1, 2014, the Firearms Technology Branch
was elevated to a division level organization and renamed the Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division (FATD). As a result, ATF’s firearms and ammunition technology services will be given a higher degree of
visibility within the agency and within the Department of
Justice (DOJ). This will be commensurate with the criticality of its mission and the scope and level of those with
whom it collaborates outside ATF, including members of
Congress, DOJ officials, the firearms and ammunition
industry, and the public. This new structure is expected
to greatly improve response times for firearms and ammunition evaluations and inquiries.
•On November 10, 2014, ATF participated in the
Career Day Program at Clark Creek Elementary
School in Acworth, Georgia. Approximately 450 students attended the outreach event. ATF’s presentation
included the display of the ATF canine, Glow and a
screening of a DVD entitled, “We are ATF”, followed
by a question and answer segment.
•On November 15, 2014, ATF conducted a firearms
training seminar in Sterling Heights, Michigan for a
Midwest sporting goods retailer with stores in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and
Wisconsin. The presentation included information
about the most commonly cited violations found
during ATF compliance inspections, identifying prohibited persons and preventing straw purchases, best
practices for submitting and tracking National
Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
checks, and GCA recordkeeping basics.
As part of this organizational change, FATD is now
comprised of the Firearms Technology Criminal Branch
(FTCB) and the Firearms Technology Industry Services
Branch (FTISB). FTCB is responsible for responding to
and acting upon law enforcement agencies’ requests to
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April 2015
FFL NEWSLETTER
to the same person from whom it was received. Firearms
received for the purposes of appraisal do not fall within
the “sole purposes of repair or customizing” exception in
27 CFR 478.124(a). Therefore, when a licensee receives
a firearm for the purpose of appraisal, the licensee must
record the transaction on an ATF Form 4473 prior to
transferring the firearm back to the original nonlicensee.
test, evaluate, and provide expert testimony and firearms
and ammunition training. FTISB is responsible for providing industry related technical support to ATF field operations, chief counsel, public and governmental affairs,
management employees, other Federal, State, and local
law enforcement agencies, the firearms and ammunition
industry, and the public. In addition, FTISB has assumed
responsibility for analyzing and providing responses to
marking variance requests. Firearms and ammunition
manufacturers that submit the ATF Form 3311.4, Application for Alternate Means of Identification of Firearm(s)
(Marking Variance), to [email protected] will
not experience delays in processing times as a result of
this marking variance program transfer. The ATF Form
3311.4 can be located at: www.atf.gov/content/library/
firearms-forms.
Revised Federal Firearms License (FFL)
Renewal Application (ATF Form 8)
The revised version of the Federal Firearms License (FFL)
Renewal Application became effective for licensees whose
licenses expired as early as November 2014.
Changes to the form include the following:
For further information, please contact FATD at (304)
616-4300 or [email protected].
•Section C, Item 4: Removed “CLEO’s Name & Title”
and “Date sent”.
•Section C, Item 5: Changed from “As required by
18 U.S.C. 923” to “As required by 18 U.S.C. 923(d)
(1)(G)”.
Automation of CBP Form I-94
An alien legally admitted to the United States (U.S.) must
record his or her alien number or admission number when
completing an ATF Form 4473. See 27 CFR 478.124(c)(1).
An admission number is issued on a Form I-94, Department
of Homeland Security Arrival/Departure Record. The U.S
Customs and Border Protection (CPB) generally issues a Form
I-94 when an alien is admitted to the United States. CPB has
automated the Form I-94 at air and sea ports of entry and
generally will no longer provide a paper form upon arrival. A
paper copy of the Form I-94 may be obtained from the CPB
website at http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/
i-94-instructions. Aliens admitted to the U.S. at a land border
point of entry will still be issued a paper Form I-94.
•Section C, Item 5: Added a check box for “Check
“N/A” if you are a Collector of Curios and Relics or a
Manufacturer of Ammunition” and changed “Write”
to “Check” and changed “Curios or Relics” to “Curios and Relics”.
•Section C, Item 6: Removed Certification of
Compliance, no longer required at time of renewal.
•Section C, Item 7: Added the question, “How many
firearms have you bought or acquired with your firearms license over the past 3 years? If none, enter ‘0’.”
•Section C, Item 7: Added the question, “How many
firearms have you sold or disposed of with your firearms license over the past 3 years? If none, enter ‘0’.”
Return of Firearms
Received for Appraisal
Reminders: Reporting Deceased
Responsible Persons to the Federal
Firearms Licensing Center
and Submission of Original
and Renewal Applications
ATF has recently received inquiries regarding the ATF
Form 4473 requirement when licensees return firearms
received for appraisal from nonlicensees. Licensees are required to record transactions on a firearms transaction
record, ATF Form 4473, for any firearm sold or otherwise disposed of to any person who is not a Federal firearms licensee. 27 CFR 478.124(a) provides an exception
to this Form 4473 requirement for a firearm delivered
to a licensee for the sole purpose of repair or customizing when the firearm or a replacement firearm is returned
ATF wants to remind licensees of the requirement for reporting deceased responsible persons to the Federal Firearms Licensing Center (FFLC). Pursuant to 27 CFR
§ 478.54 Change of Control, for corporations or associations holding a license, if actual or legal control changes,
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April 2015
FFL NEWSLETTER
the second handgun. If an additional handgun sale takes
place within five business days of the first multiple sale,
that additional pistol or revolver will be added to the already submitted report of multiple sale. Multiple handgun sales reports may be submitted via mail, fax or email
to the following:
directly or indirectly, whether by reason of change in
stock ownership or control (in the licensed corporation
or in any other corporation), by operations of law, or in
any other manner, the licensee shall give written notification to the Chief, Federal Firearms Licensing Center,
within 30 days of such change.
U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives
National Tracing Center
P.O. Box 0279
Kearneysville, WV 25430-0279
Fax number: 1-877-283-0288
Email: [email protected]
For further information contact ATF FFLC customer
service at 1-877-560-2435.
Original or renewal license application submissions
should be mailed with payment using the U.S. Postal
Service to the P.O. Box printed on the application forms.
Common carriers such as Fed Ex and UPS are not authorized to send packages to P.O. Boxes — using these
common carriers may result in misrouted or lost applications and extreme delays in processing.
Licensed dealers and pawnbrokers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas shall prepare an ATF Form
3310.12, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition
of Certain Rifles, whenever the licensee sells or otherwise
disposes of to an unlicensed person, two or more rifles
within five consecutive business days having the following characteristics: (1) semi-automatic; (2) caliber greater
than .22 (including .223/5.56 mm); and (3) the ability
to accept detachable magazines. This form is not required
when the rifles are returned to the same person from
whom they were received. The form must be submitted
by close of business the day the second rifle is purchased.
If an additional qualifying rifle sale takes place within five
business days of the first multiple sale, that rifle will be
added to the already submitted report of multiple sale.
Forms may be submitted via mail or fax to the following:
Use of Internal Control Numbers
on ATF Form 6 Part I
The Firearms and Explosives Imports Branch (FEIB)
would like to encourage Federal firearms licensees who
file the ATF Form 6 Part I application to assign an internal control number to their ATF Form 6 applications
and to record the number in the appropriate box on the
form (under “For Applicant’s Optional Use” near the top
of the form). The internal control number is recorded in
our mail log (if we receive a paper ATF Form 6) and it is
recorded in our database (for paper and electronic ATF
Forms 6). When licensees call to inquire about the status
of a permit and do not know the permit number, we can
search by the internal control number, allowing for a
quicker response. Any questions may be directed to FEIB
at (304) 616-4584.
U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives
National Tracing Center
P.O. Box 0279
Kearneysville, WV 25430-0279
Fax Number: 1-877-283-0288
Reminder: Reporting Multiple Sales
of Handguns or Certain Rifles
Who to Contact with your
Firearms Related Questions
Licensees shall prepare an ATF Form 3310.4, Report of
Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers, whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of,
at one time or during any five consecutive business days,
two or more pistols, or revolvers, or any combination of
pistols and revolvers totaling two or more, to an unlicensed person. See 27 CFR 478.126a. The form is not
required if the pistols and/or revolvers are being returned
to the same person from whom they were received. The
form must be submitted no later than the close of the
business day on which the licensee sold or disposed of
ATF receives numerous telephone calls and emails daily regarding firearms related issues (i.e., laws and regulations, licensing, importation). In order to better assist you with
meeting your needs, ATF is providing the following list of telephone numbers and email addresses for your convenience. In
addition, if you would like to receive firearms industry news
updates, please visit the following link to sign up: https://
public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USATF/subscriber/new?
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April 2015
FFL NEWSLETTER
ATF Web Site:
http://www.atf.gov/
Firearms Technology Questions:
Classification, technical and/or manufacturing)
(304) 616-4300
[email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.atf.gov/content/Firearms/firearms-industry
Firearm marking variance questions:
(304) 616-4300
[email protected]
Top 12 Questions and Answers:
https://www.atf.gov/sites/default/files/assets/pdf-files/0813firearms-top-12-qas.pdf
Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation
Report questions:
304) 616-4590
General questions about firearms laws and
regulations:
ATF Field Offices: http://www.atf.gov/content/contact-us/
local-atf-office
To Receive ATF Forms and Publications:
ATF Distribution Center
(703) 870-7526 or (703) 870-7528
http://www.atf.gov/content/distribution-center-order-form
Firearms Industry Programs Branch:
(202) 648-7190 or [email protected]
Firearms Licensing Questions:
(Renewals, changes/corrections, or obtaining a license)
(866) 662-2750
[email protected]
Report Stolen Firearms:
(888) 930-9275
Out of Business Questions:
National Tracing Center
(800) 788-7133
Firearms Imports Questions:
(Importation of firearms, ammunition and defense articles)
(304) 616-4550
[email protected]
National Firearms Act Questions:
(Registration and documentation)
(304) 616-4500
[email protected]
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